体坛英语新闻：Barry Bonds perjury trial early highlight of baseball season

By the time Bonds $15.8 million contract with the Giants was not renewed after the 2007 season, not only did he have the all-time home run career mark, but he also held the record for most home runs hit in a single season (73, during the 2001 MLB season), drove in almost 2,000 runs batted in (falling a bit short, at 1,996), and was named MLB Most Valuable Player a record-setting seven times.

He also excelled at his defensive play, being awarded eight Gold Gloves for his work as an outfielder during the course of his 22 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Giants. Fourteen times he was voted to the annual All-Star Team.

At the time of his leaving MLB, he was making almost $16 million a year for playing for the Giants. Collectively for his career, he received almost $190 million dollars. That latter figure does not include numerous and various fiscal incentives and bonuses. If both of these are officially counted, then Bonds made well over $200 million during his 22 season career.

In total, federal prosecutors called 25 witnesses to testify on their behalf. As the defense prepared to present its case, speculation among those following the federal trial was whether or not Bonds would testify. At least one such person believes that for Bonds to do so would be a bad idea on the former Giants player's behalf.

"Bonds lawyers would be crazy to let him take the (witness) stand," said Harvard Law School Professor Peter Carfagna. "That would create the possibility that the prosecutors could ask him all sorts of questions."

Carfagna who specializes in the legal field of Sports Law, noted that the perjury charges against Bonds could be difficult for the federal prosecutors to prove.

"They (the prosecutors) have to prove that Bonds committed perjury knowingly and that it was intentional. For the jury to find him guilty of any or all of the charges, the prosecution has to prove that all of this happened beyond a reasonable doubt. If Bonds is found innocent of all of the charges, there is no double jeopardy. He walks out of the courtroom a free man," he explained.

The steroid which Bonds is alleged to have used to become a better baseball player is tetrahydrogestrinone. Better known as "the clear," due to its translucent look, it is a cream-like substance which users lather onto their skin.

"The clear" was developed by chemist Patrick Arnold who on August 4, 2006, was sentenced to three months in prison, in addition to three months of house arrest, due to being found guilty on one charge of conspiring to distribute steroids.

On Arnold's official blog site, under the January 19 entry, there appears the following: "...Why is the federal government -- in our times of uNPRecedented fiscal crisis -- unquestionably pouring money into this expensive trial that pretty much lost its relevancy years ago?"

Carfagna, in another sense, reiterated Arnold's above stated opinion.

"If Bonds is found guilty on all charges, the maximum prison sentence would be anywhere from 18 to 24 months. But if he is found innocent of all charges, then what was all of this for? Is this (the federal prosecution's costs in building their case against Bonds) proper expenditure of public funds?" Carfagna asked.